Lord Shovile
by MagicBookworm
Summary: Valkyrie has been kidnapped by a guy with a shovel. A shovel you may ask. Yes indeed a shovel. / Placed directly after book 6
1. Chapter 1

Normal

magic life

"At least", he said, "something we can both agree on."

And they vanished.

Valkyrie would've never thought that standing on a huge steel construction could impress her that much, but the sight down onto the lights of Paris was just that beautiful.

"Fletcher, I'm evil, you know this just can´t work."

"Oh I´m evil, too.", Fletch said with his absolutely unevil voice.

Valkyrie softly laid a hand on his blood splattered face.

"I like you Fletcher, but actually you´re not ..."

Valkyrie suddenly got interrupted, as her ex-boyfriend took her head and pressed his lips against hers. In this moment of surprise and still having the action of the vampire fight in her legs, she really enjoyed his kiss. It was the best one she had ever been given and she had really been given awesome kisses before. Fletcher wanted to stop already, but Stephanie still held on and opened her mouth just a little, so that their tongues could touch.

"You broke up with me a few days before , can you remember that", he said.

"As I told you, I'm evil", she said, and gave him another kiss.

She stood on her toes and whispered in his ear.

"You´re not just a little more evil because of suddenly kissing me."

"I´d like to make out with you", he blurted out unexpected, "here and now."

For a moment Valkyrie wasn´t sure if she should punch his face or pull down his pants. This really made him kinda evil.

"This is so fucking weird", she thought.

They really made up at midnight on the Eiffel Tower. In some kind of way it felt awesome, like something she hasn't been thinking of for half an eternity, and now just happening to her.

She closed her eyes and could feel him. When she opened them again, she saw herself standing half naked on a plaza in Italy, two people looking at her with flashed faces. Her face went red, as she found herself lying on a great nice bed in an loft in San Francisco. She pushed him away, put her trousers on and stood up from the bed, letting him sit right there.

"That wasn't evil, Fletcher, it was mean. Did you think that would be fun? Teleporting us both while making up for the first time of my life just to show me how evil you can be?"

Fletcher looked embarrassed.

"We ... teleported?", he asked very lightly.

Valkyrie looked at him, finding out that he wasn't joking.

"Said this ain't gonna work!" she said and then they busted into a laugh.

"I didn't want to be rude", Fletcher said.

"I know you love me", she said, "and so do I"

"You love me?"

"Oh boy, I love me. But as well I think I could love you a bit, too, provided you staying crazy evil."

"Think that should be doable." he said.

He touched her ass and kissed her, and as she blinked, they were standing inside her room, her reflection sitting on her desk and reading.

"Could you just walk into there?" she asked, her reflection simply answering her with a nod and vanishing into the mirror.

"I´d really like to get some sleep now", she said to Fletcher trying to look extremely tired.

"Shall I stay and hold you?"

"Please, don't be angry, but..."

"It's ok", he whispered, touching her shoulder and kissing her forehead.

"Good Night", he said, than disappeared.

Valkyries head was buzzing. She throw herself on her bed and fell asleep the moment she hit the mattress.

It was morning as Valkyrie walked down the road. The sun had rose a few minutes ago. It was warm outside and after letting the informations of her reflections yesterday flow inside her buzzing head belated, becoming her own memories, she suddenly felt the desire to go to the beach, to think about some stuff. About all the things she should have thought about. About her mentor. About her maybe boyfriend. About her cousins. About her whole family. About the last four damn years of her magical life. She sat down in the sand and let it rin through her fingers.

The last night had changed her tiny love life Last night they had killed Caelan. Last night she had lost her petting virginity. She didn't regret it, contrary, she was fine with it, was happy it had just happened so unforced, so weirdly spontaneous. It was a completely and unexpectable diversity to her whole entire life.

She wasn't sure with that but she thought she loved Fletcher now, loved him the way she would be able to tell him that she loved him the next time she´d see him.

Then she stood up and walked away to visit Gordon.

A little more than a week before, the beautiful and big house had been filled with people. Now there was nothing left of the Requiem ball. The old house looked like the last six years before. Empty and silent. A place to hang out alone and chill with some books. She walked trough the dancing room, where all the people had lain lifeless for some minutes. She moved with her fingers over the floor, felling little scuffs in the parquet, as she recognized a howling noise, like strong wind. She got up quickly and held her hands up, walking the direction it came from. It was the hidden room where his uncle´s echo stone laid. The sound got permanently louder, and Valkyrie did not want to believe what she saw, as she stepped inside. His uncle laid there on the floor, sleeping with an woman his age, their naked ghost bodies glowing light blue. Her human body sat empty on a chair a few meters next to them.

As they saw her, the woman shrieked, her ghost flying back into her body immediately.

"Stephanie, I ... wait a minute."

Gordon stood up, suddenly dressed.

"Shall I leave?", she asked.

"No, no, jut stay.", the woman said.

"You are an linkless, aren´t you."

The woman nodded.

"One of the last dozen. Five in England, three in India, the others restless. I work for the sanctuary."

"So you two got known each other at the requiem ball, didn't you?"

"How did you..."

"She´s an clever girl, Alastaria. You know that's why she´s an detective."

She smiled at Valkyrie, than set down holding her head.

"What's up?", Valkyrie asked.

"It's your future."

"What?"

"It´s so dark, I, I just cant stand that."

Alastaria screamed, than opened her eyes widely, taking a deep breath, Valkyrie holding her.

"Are you ok?"

"Yes it's over, that happens often. I´m sorry. It´s a spontaneous touch."

"So this dark future thing wasn´t true?"

"Oh, it was."

"Great, now, I will leave."

She walked over to her uncle and bowed out. He said nothing, still over trained by the situation.

As she walked home, Stephanie saw an worksite. She didn't know why, maybe a flying car part of her fight with Skulduggery had hit the ground. A man stood there, repairing the street. He held an shovel in his hand and wore an yellow old helmet. For a moment Valkyrie thought about how she could take him down and press his face onto the hard ground. He wouldn't have a chance. But, damn this just was an simple worker! Her job must have made her paranoid. She lowered her head, watching down onto the perfect new road surface, then heard a swinging noise and got hit by something heavy.


	2. Chapter 2

Lord Shovile

"Just tell me one thing, why a shovel?"

Kenny, who had just stepped into the dark room made a grimace.

"I capture you and all you think about is my weapon?"

"Your shovel."

"Fine, so first I'm gonna tell you why I chose a shovel as weapon."

"Just start."

"If you would be so nice and shut up!"

"No need to get rude."

"So, the shovel. You do know me, don´t you?"

"Think I´ve seen you before but cannot really remember. Did I punch your face once?"

"What? No!"

"Oh, then not."

"Good, 'cause that is the whole point. I am a nobody. Nobody knows me, except your skeleton friend. I am no magician, I am a mortal. An ignorant little human, nobody of you cares for. But now, I have power. And I got it by pure wanting. It all started years ago."

"Oh yes, he's gonna tell me a story."

"Be quiet. I came to magic by chance. I always believed that there was magic, since I was a little mortal boy. I always believed that there was a world around me, I didn't know. So I just got the clues and found out everything on my own. Speaking to nice old clairvoyants, to an man that had been punched by a girl and his mirror clone. And then there was this one crucial night, a week ago. I saw you both fighting that vampire guy, killing him in the salt water, then teleporting away. I got it on my camcorder, you know. Went home, watched it eight times this evening. From that point I was incurably ill. I needed information, that no single one would give to me by his own free will. So I made the decision I had to. I had to become a little criminal. I stalked you. Found out where Skulduggery lives. Oh dear, getting into his house was so easy, I wondered why no swinging blade killed me before walking a step inside. But nothing. His symbols are for sorcerers, Valkyrie. I just got in there and found what I wanted. I had found this wonderful black piece of metal, including all this bare black energy. I went to a smith, a very old smith, to get this junk ball the form of a shovel."

"Hey, we are at the shovel again!"

"It showed me what I can do with it, with the black power, and the shadows infected my mind. They gave me all the information it had always had and I got a two days buzzing headache. You know, Kenny would never have hit you, but me, the new Kenny, is willing to pay that little price."

"What is so hard about just telling me why you didn't made an axe!"

Kenny's face showed him getting angry. Shadows went out of the little steampunky thing at the bottom half and the top of the shovel shifted into an axes blade.

"I can still make it become one. All you sorcerers and warriors and psychopaths and people got awesome medieval weapon like bows or swords or guns, abnormal stuff like that, but thats because your special. I'm a mortal, so I decided to make it look like a shovel. As a nice effect by the side it's not so very striking like an axe. You cant walk through the city with an axe."

"Oh", Valkyrie said, "I have already done that in that Troll case last year."


	3. Chapter 3

Riding Planless

Skulduggery's hand laid totally jitterless on the steering wheel. There really was too much happening the last time. Valkyrie didn't show up to the training today. She only forgot it ones in two years, so he was wondering. Fletcher didn't know anything about where she could have been, and asking her parents had failed also.

A damn pitch he had hardly nobody to help him. He didn´t talk to China anymore. Tanith still was controlled by that Remnant thing. Ghastly was busy with his Elder work.

"She must have been kidnapped."

"Kidnapped? This is Valkyrie, we're talkin' about. Who would be able to kidnap her?"

"A lot of people, Fletcher, more than you could think of. Don't be naive."

"But why?"

"Because your ex is an widely hated girl in the magic world. Lets see. Sorcerers of every religion hate her because of not joining them, fighting against them, mashing them up, or simply ignoring her. Could be anybody. And the normal evil villain boys. Billy Ray. Scapegrace. Even a bridge troll could be our mad man. Could be anybody or nobody."

"And how are we gonna find her then", the Teleporter asked nervously.

"I don't have the lightest sprinkle of an idea in my not existing brain."

He steered around a curve and drove on an Highway. He was scared, but he didn´t want to admit that to the boy.

He really should have let Ghastly put that GPS tracker into her jacket.

Then his phone started to rang. It was Valkyries number.

"Why didn´t you come to the training?"

"Oh, I´m so sorry. Couldn´t free myself from that guy that kidnapped me for now."

He held his hand on the phone and whispered to Fletcher.

"As I said, she got kidnapped."

He went back on the phone.

"Who is it?"

"Kenny."

"Did we punch him once?"

"No. He is the newspaper guy we asked some questions. He has stolen you´re armour chunk and made a shovel out of it."

"You mean that mud digging kind of shovel?"

"No, the dinosaur kind."

"There is an dinosaur kind? That means him being in possession of an metadino now?"

"No! This ain't funny. Look, I have absolutely no idea where I am, because he keeps me in an closed dark room."

"Thats quite clever. Would handle it exactly the same."

"Shut up, Skulman!"

"No need to be rude."

"Ok, so I do have no idea where I am, how strong Kenny is, if he has minions or what his plans are, so, you´ll have to rescue me."

"Will call you back in a minute", Skulduggery said.

He tipped an new number on the phone.

"Hi Winny, Skulduggery here, could you please just tell me where Darquesse is?"

Fletcher was shocked. Searching for Valkyrie and Skulduggery asking this man after Darquesse, could just mean them being one and the same person.

"Ok, thanks. Will bring you the lamb in a few days. Bye."

"Who was that?", Fletcher asked.

"A friend from the evil magicians resort in New Zealand."

"So", he said nervously, "Valkyrie is Darquesse?"

"She is", Skulduggery said, looking straight onto the road.

"Where do we drive now?"

"Right to the western edge of Dublin."

Then it went black for the short part of a second and suddenly they stood on a grass field. Skulduggery and Fletcher got out, looking at the car from a little distance.

"Did you teleport the Bentley?"

"I did."

"You teleported us to the Southern edge."

"I did."

"Have you ever done this before?"

"I didn´t."

"Could the Bentley get hurt?"

"Cause of it being a thing, I don´t think so."

"Watch out!" Skulduggery screamed, as a cow came running towards them. Fletcher suddenly vanished and the massive bull crushed into the Bentley.

"Uh, that's not nice," Fletcher said, now standing next to Skulduggery and looking at the big indent, where the animal had hit the car.

"You´ll pay that and saying no could end unhealthy."

"Of course," he said, sighing, vanishing and coming back with a blue sportsbag full of cash, placing it on the backseat.

"Fine. So lets rescue Valkyrie."

He grabbed Fletcher's arm and they rose into the air.


	4. Chapter 4

The auction

Through the hidden entrance, China got into the little hall. It was lightened by a glass roof letting the sun pass. A two dozen plastic stairs stood there, and a kind of stage had been built . A few people already sat there, waiting for what was going to happen. As China stepped in, they all turned around, but because of the big red hood no one could recognize her . Before sitting down in the second last row, she shortly checked the situation. On the left was a group of Necromancers, four by number. Two strange looking man with blue pullovers also sat there, Doctor Nye, one child of the spider. Three man from the church of the faceless ones were there, too. In the front row was a funny looking man with a cowboy hat. On his lips was a woman with a similar outfit, a whip on her belt. It was Tanith.

Than a man walked on the little stage.

"Ladies and Gentleman and Zombies and Its", he began,"welcome to this nice event.

As I see, you got my messages. You all are here for one thing. You came for Valkyrie Cain."

Then there was the sound of an little hydraulic ramp. Valkyrie was coming up, sitting on a chair. As they saw her, they applauded. One smiled, one screamed.

"So you know what I can give you. The Question is, what can you give me?"

And the auction began. They offered him artifacts, knowledge, weapons and money, just to get what they had wanted for so long. Valkyrie Cain, the Death Bringer, the right hand of the skeleton detective, able to control shadows and three of the elementals.

Elder Bespoke was happy. Trough Nye he had found out about this super secret meeting. Lying on the top joist was quite easy, Ghastly thought the moment before he lost balance. He fell from the steelwork and landed right next to Tanith.

"Hey guys" he said hopeless and stood up. The next seconds he was sliced by daggers, hit by hammers, bite by spiders, wounded by whips, kicked by boots, and pierced by syringes. He was unconscious before he could land his first punch.

Then there was another rumbling noise as Skulduggery fell into the room, Fletcher at his side. He looked around into a lot of old friends faces.

"Oh, this is like Christmas, Birthday and Eastern together!" Then he held up his gun and shout down one of the Church of the faceless.


	5. Chapter 5

Full House

The arachnohumanoid woman crawled up a wall. On of the big windows stood open and it was half outside, as Skulduggery pulled his gun and hit the trigger. Spider blood splatted against the wall. A big piece of the glass top had broken. Skulduggery pushed at the air and let it come down onto the Necromancers. One created a shield out of Shadows and two others managed shadow walking away the last moment. The fourth of the group laid on the floor, hands up, covering his head. He howled as the fragments pierced his spine.

Then he saw Fletcher hitting the shield one with his classic baseball bat. He landed on the window guy, shrieking.

To his left, China was fighting Kenny. She pressed an glowing rune stamp onto its shoulder, but it had no effect. His shovel assumed the shape of an sword. Kenn kicked her knee, and she fell. Then he rose his weapon.

Skulduggery was taken down by two men, crunching into him like Footballers. It were two of the faceless one guys. Skulduggery created a spark, pressing it into the ones chest. He screamed and ran away. The other one was affected by the flame and started to burn completely. His skin went to fire, but didn´t harm him. He laughed and punched Skulduggery's face.

Scapegrace and Trasher weren´t that stupid. They had taken the chance of the expanding chaos to steal themselves away. They were just five meters from the door, as an burning man ran towards them. He hit trasher then landed on the ground and becoming an black corpse. Trashers right leg were burning. Scapegrace saw the blade of the man lying there on the ground. He took it and severed the leg.

"Master", trasher said, "I'm sorry but this was the false one."

The self styled Mummy King looked down. The burning and stinking leg still was connected with his torso.

He severed it, too.

"You made me an cripple!" Trasher said.

"Be happy that I did not let you burn to another Death!"

Then he took trasher and dragged him to the next Exit, next to which Ghastlys body laid.

As he passed him he kneed down and squeezed the elixir from the syringe right into the boxers venes. Scapegrace, the Mummy King already wanted to leave, as Ghastly stood up, laid an hand on his shoulder and thanked him.

"Uh, Nyes stuff really does its part. Haven't felt so alive for a long time. "

With this words he started running towards the fighting crowd.

Another flying man hit Scapegrace the moment he was inattentive. His left arm began to burn. Trasher, the Mummy Kings servant, took the blade fast and sewered both arms of his master, after first cutting the wrong.

"You idiot!"

"Oh master, I´m so sorry for doing that, but I have to say we´re kinda quits now."

Scapegrace leaned forward and gave him a brain teaser.

Inside of Tanith the Remnant began to move. The moment this shovel swinging fool went up the stage, his heart had started to pulse. There was a power shining out from him, greater than anything he had ever felt. It was the power of Lord Vile. This was no hard decision. Now in the chance of the chaos, it would be easy to get into his mortal body.

Even if he wasn´t able to free his brothers and sisters with this enormous volume of magic he would still be the strongest remnant in history of remnanity. And, by the way, he wouldn't have to stay in those stupid looking cowgirl outfit any longer.

Tanith who was just about to leave suddenly closed her eyes and opened her mouth, then shrieked. The remnant crawled out of her and directly flicked towards Kenny.

He landed right on his face, widening his mouth and getting in.

It was all new and different. The power, the new body. His head hurted a little.

"What are you now?", the Detective asked him.

He could feel the power that went out from the shovel.

"Kenny?"

Let the shadows influence him.

"No."

Understood how to change its form.

"Lord Vile?"

Made the shovel slowly transform into something else.

"No."

Found that the one he had chosen was a good shape.

"Damn. You´re the Remnant."

Laid it into his hand correctly.

The detective tried to pull away Kenny's legs, but he was able to dodge. He took the warhammer and hit Skulduggery's head. His nose broke away.


	6. Chapter 6

Turning up

Valkyrie just sat there on her chair, arms tied and the new and barely used ring Solomon gave to her sticking on her ring finger. There was nearly no energy in it. Down there laid China on the ground, Nye over her putting some capsule into her mouth. In some edge the crippled mummy's and a faceless guy were fleeing. Billy Ray was just escaping into the ground while Tanith stood there like an empty wallet. Skulduggery just had got punched by Kenny. Ghastly came sprinting to help him, but was crushed away by the hammer, hitting him in the site the moment he jumped for the body check. Valkyrie knew Skulduggery couldn´t win. The remnant in Kenny's body knew everything about Skulduggery, every single of his fighting skills, because he has just been connected to him for dozens of years. With the Lord Vile weapon, the remnant may could defeat him.

"So we meet again," a voice suddenly whispered in her ear. It was Billy Rays.

Valkyrie was shocked. She hasn´t heard him coming. As she looked straight forward, she could see Fletcher, grabbing the reawakened Tanith and vanishing with her. He gave her a wink the moment he went away.

She could feel the cold magic razorblades resting on her throat and her chair, sinking into the board. Then the moving stopped and Billy Ray was away. Somewhere now, she thought, a Texan must get some really hard punches. As Valkyrie was alone again now, she saw Skulduggery still being the weaker part of the fight. She closed her eyes, noticed the hearts of all the people there like little flickering sparklers before her inner eye. Then suddenly there was a tiny ball of compressed darkness directly where Chinas heart had been. She grabbed it in her mind and pulled it towards her ring. It gloomed soft black and her shackles crumbled into dust. She stood up and jumped down the stage. Kenny stood before her. He made the weapon an grappling gun and shot it up to the roof. He rose a few meters, as Valkyrie threw an shadow boomerang slicing through it and letting him fall. Narrowly she managed to evade the lance, that came down on her. A kick came into her direction, but she hold his feet and turned it. He fell to the ground again. Valkyries new shadows struggled him as an dagger pierced her leg. She screamed up and the shadows let go. Kenny got up, blocking an punch from Ghastly, hitting him with the hammer again. For now, the Elder wouldn´t stand up anymore. Skulduggery's attack came from behind. Kenny wasn´table to hold his shield up in time, so the skeleton fist hit his head violent. The shovel flow away.

"Will the sparrows fly?", Valkyrie asked, evoking the shadows and let them crush into his back.

"To south like every winter!" Skulduggery answered. Kenny went down already, as Skulduggery's knee hit his face.

The remnant that obsessed Kenny was on the ground. His weapon, that wold be able to change everything lay a few meters from away. The skeletons feet was on it. Then he was lifted up by Valkyrie grabbing him at his collar, who brought her face close to his.

"Do never try selling me again", she said.

The remnant turned itself around inside of Kenny.

Long ago his mother had told him, that one day his iffiness would cost him his live.

Like mothers always are, she was right.

He detached the last connections to Kenny's body, then with the fastest body change ever done by a remnant, he disappeared into Valkyrie. She stumbled backwards and began to choke. Her torso rumbled, as the remnant made its way inside. Ghastly came to help her, but Skulduggery pulled him away. Than Valkyrie stood still, her hair laying in her face. Her mouth opened and the remnant tried its best to get out of her, as she smiled and shadow tentacles pulled him back inside. If the remnant would have been able to, he had cried.

Then there was the sound of a rupturing fabric and Valkyrie felt to her knees. Supported by her arms, she vomited. The dead rest of what once must have been a remnant flew out of her. Darquesse had killed him. Kenny, free of every possession now, fell down, exhausted by the extreme contacts with magic for the last days


	7. Chapter 7

Reunited

Valkyrie walked out, sorcerers of the sanctuary passing her. Suddenly there was a figure next to her.

"What have you done so far today?"

"Well, let's see I´ve killed a remnant, banned your armour and saved your life. Nothing big."

"Nice", Skulduggery said.

"Nice?", Valkyrie asked.

"Oh if I weren't so envy about you, I would say that it's really awesome, but then I also have to think of you being the Death Bringer and you now having this power doesn't make the whole thing any better. And the remnant thing doesn't really count cause it was Darquesse."

"You´re so negative."

"Oh no I'm realistic."

Valkyrie began to laugh.

"You´re jealous."

"Honestly haven't been so jealous for a long time."

"To come back to this Death Bringer thing, once again. Have you ever thought of me killing the people who want me to kill people?"

"As I'm assured that you aren't speaking of me, I can assume that you want to rot the face of Necromancy away from this planet?"

"May this is what I am here for", Valkyrie said, climbing inside the Bentley.

Tanith sat down on the place next to her.

"Hey.", she said.

"Howdy",Stephanie answered with a smile.

"Howdy? Are you an cowboy or something?"

"Oh," said Valkyrie with a smile in her face.

"What?" asked Tanith.

"You haven't seen it yet."

Her forefinger pointed on Tanith's shirt. Tanith looked down on to herself, than shrieked, as she saw the jeans waistcoat. She had just popped her shirt, as the back door got opened and Ghastly slided into the demolished car. As he saw Tanith, he was like frozen. He just looked right into her eyes. She took its head with both hands and gave him a kiss.

"Hey", she said, as he stroke her hair.

"Howdy," Ghastly said, as she touched his wounded arm.

"Before this thing gets kind of too private, I do have some questions for you, Elder Bespoke."

"Oh come on call me ..."

"You´re an Elder now?" Tanith asked and Valkyrie and Skulduggery had to grin.

"Yes, but thats not important now."

"What are you going to do with Kenny?"

"He knows too much for just letting him run and isn´t worth the paperwork killing him. I´ll give him a job at the Sanctuary."

"You do want to let the man who hit me with a shovel be one of us?"

"Exactly. He has potential."

"I´ll treat him.", Valkyrie said, grin on her lips.

"So, Ghastly, tell me, what did you exactly suppose Nye to make him help you", Skulduggery asked. Ghastly got serious again.

"A corpse, one that will be findable there after the fight."

"There were three of them, two burned Faceless and ...", Valkyrie stopped.

"And China." Ghastly swallowed. "He chose her."


End file.
